Curriculum Filter Results

Great Lakes Aquarium – Research Prompts

The attachments below are a "student copy" and a "teacher copy" of a guide to each exhibit at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, MN. One purpose of this resource is as a school research project kick-off for students and their teacher. Another is developing a teaching unit, using student inquiry as your guide. This resource may also be used for digging in deeper to the exhibits through teacher-guided discussion, partner-group discussion, or individual reflection.

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
1. The Great Lakes, bodies of fresh water with many features, are connected to each other and to the world ocean.2. Natural forces formed the Great Lakes; the lakes continue to shape the features of their watershed.3. The Great Lakes influence local and regional weather and climate.4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :5. The Great Lakes support a broad diversity of life and ecosystems.6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.7. Much remains to be learned about the Great Lakes.8. The Great Lakes are socially, economically, and environmentally significant to the region, the nation and the planet.

How Did They Get Here?

Students will investigate a variety of resources to formulate a hypothesis regarding how Rusty Crayfish arrived in the St. Louis River.

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
1. The Great Lakes, bodies of fresh water with many features, are connected to each other and to the world ocean.4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :5. The Great Lakes support a broad diversity of life and ecosystems.7. Much remains to be learned about the Great Lakes.

Keep the Water Clean!

Students will learn about different types of pollution that can be present in water, ways those types of pollution can be handled, what Areas of Concerns are, and what can be done to clean up (and keep clean) Areas of Concerns in the St. Louis River Estuary.

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
1. The Great Lakes, bodies of fresh water with many features, are connected to each other and to the world ocean.2. Natural forces formed the Great Lakes; the lakes continue to shape the features of their watershed.4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.

Macroinvertebrate Informational Text: Read and Understand!

The emphasis on reading and understanding informational texts in classrooms mirrors our efforts in science at the Lake Superior NERR. These readings are based on real scientific efforts in the Lake Superior Watershed, and include questions to check for understanding. This short text includes pictures of commonly found aquatic macroinvertebrates.

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :8. The Great Lakes are socially, economically, and environmentally significant to the region, the nation and the planet.

Making a Watershed!

This lesson outline and PowerPoint guide you and your students through learning about watersheds by making your own! Students will make their own landscape and hypothesize where water and land are on their landscape. They can add places of human activity and predict what will happen to their watershed when it "rains"! This is a fun, short activity that can be extended to emphasize key ideas. The Enviroscape from the Great Lakes Aquarium is optional but very useful for this lesson!

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
1. The Great Lakes, bodies of fresh water with many features, are connected to each other and to the world ocean.2. Natural forces formed the Great Lakes; the lakes continue to shape the features of their watershed.4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.

Mapping Your Place

Students will construct a large map of a place of their choosing. This place will be divided into smaller sections using a string/flag grid system. Each student will take their time to create a map of one portion of the grid to be put together into a larger whole.

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
2. Natural forces formed the Great Lakes; the lakes continue to shape the features of their watershed.4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :5. The Great Lakes support a broad diversity of life and ecosystems.6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.

Nature Nibble #8 – May 25th

Get out in your own backyard and see what's going on! Open up the Nature Nibble curriculum document to take a look at what is going on outside your window. Use the Nature Nibble Links supporting file to open up a YouTube video from Ms. Deanna to watch before you go outside. Be sure to look around for other things happening outside your window and either write them down or draw them on your Nature Nibble sheet or in your journal. Get out there and have fun!

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :5. The Great Lakes support a broad diversity of life and ecosystems.6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.

Online Resources for Data, Kits, Information and More!

The curriculum attached is actually a list of websites you can find useful for you and your students. Some of the websites will give you access to data that you can give to your students, other websites (like the WI DNR EEK!! website) provides information that your students can use (and is age appropriate for elementary/middle school). Other websites provide great kits or other resources.

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
1. The Great Lakes, bodies of fresh water with many features, are connected to each other and to the world ocean.2. Natural forces formed the Great Lakes; the lakes continue to shape the features of their watershed.3. The Great Lakes influence local and regional weather and climate.4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :5. The Great Lakes support a broad diversity of life and ecosystems.6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.7. Much remains to be learned about the Great Lakes.8. The Great Lakes are socially, economically, and environmentally significant to the region, the nation and the planet.

Outdoor Activities

The curriculum contains great outdoor activities for students of all ages.

Downloads:

Details

Great Lakes Literacy Principles:
4. Water makes Earth habitable; fresh water sustains life on land. :6. The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably interconnected.8. The Great Lakes are socially, economically, and environmentally significant to the region, the nation and the planet.